Border checks dismissed

Chief Constable Livingstone has dismissed reports that English drivers could be turned away at the border.

He said: ”We’ve no intention of doing that. We’ll engage with members of the public on the Scottish border just as we would in the Scottish Highlands. But we’ve absolutely no intention of having any road blocks on the Scottish-English border.”

14:40KEY EVENT

Reminder that PM address won't apply to Scotland

Nicola Sturgeon has issued a reminder that measures announced by Boris Johnson this weekend won’t necessarily apply to Scotland.

She said: “I would remind people, when the Prime Minister speaks on Sunday, these restrictions are in place separately in all four nations of the UK.

“We all have our own legal responsibility to review them and keep them under review. Apart from on clearly reserved matters like border control, what the Prime Minister announces in terms of easing up of restrictions will be for England.

“I would expect the changes, if there are any variations between us, to be minor at this stage and I’ll talk more in detail about that when I see what he’s going to announce.

“We are where we are right now and I want us to move on and move forward on a collaborative basis.”

14:32

More people in public, but reasons may be legitimate

Chief Inspector Livingstone says more people are out and about in public, but their reasons may be legitimate.

He said: “Our impression is that people are adjusting to regulation and guidance.

“If anything, in the early weeks, there was a compliance with the requirements and a number of businesses closed. We’ve seen a number of businesses reopen entirely legitimately.

“There has been remarkably high levels of support and compliance, but in recent days we have seen more people physically in public. A number of them are there for legitimate reasons but we only know that when we speak to them and they explain their circumstances.”

14:18KEY EVENT

'No radical departure' to what Scottish and UK Governments are planning

The First Minister said she doesn’t think the plans Boris Johnson is set to announce will be a “radical departure” from what the Scottish Government are saying.

She said: “There is now a recognition that the UK may not go at the same pace throughout all of this, but that doesn’t mean that we won’t co-ordinate our messaging.

“I would anticipate that in the immediate term, as in Sunday into Monday, and differences will be quite minor, but we’ll see what the Prime Minister announces. I wouldn’t anticipate a radical departure in the immediate term.”

14:14

Discussions on temperature and border checks

Nicola Sturgeon has been asked about the possibility of introducing temperature checks for those arriving in Scotland.

She said: “I would expect UK Government to say something on how it deals with borders and the advice and health interventions it would make for people coming in to the country. We’ve been involved in those discussions in recent days.”

14:10

Policing challenges if different measures introduced in different places

The Chief Inspector has spoken of the challenges police would face should different lockdown measures be in place in different parts of the UK.

He said: “It’s fair to say that if there were differences in different areas, and different parts of the United Kingdom, that would make the policing role more challenging. But I’m still confident we will be able to respond to that. We’ve got very close ties with the communities we serve, and it would be very clear that anything we do is always with the consent of the public to support them, to explain why there may be changes and to ensure they do everything they can to maintain physical distancing and we are there to support them and, where necessary, to enforce the law.”

Sturgeon added: “As we consider easing restrictions in the future, we take the view of Police Scotland on the practicality of the changes we are considering.”

13:58

Professor Jason Leitch - please don't avoid seeking medical help

National clinical director Professor Jason Leitch says attendance levels at A&E and hospitals are low. Urgent cancer referrals are also down “significantly”.

He said: “Please do not ignore early cancer signs and symptoms. Please do not delay getting checked.

“If you or anyone in your household notices a rapid deterioration in health, seek help immediately. Please don’t ignore the early warning signs of serious conditions such as strokes, heart attacks, athsma, or diabetic collapse.”

13:52

Chief Constable Iain Livingstone on 'public trust'

Police Scotland Chief Constable Iain Livingston has spoken about the high levels of compliance from the public.

“Officers and staff are experiencing high levels of cooperation and consent from citizens.

“Reassuringly, we have seen some early indications in some independent surveys that public confidence in Policing in Scotland remains solid at this time, and is perhaps even higher.

“We will continue to value to trust of the public, and support them, during these difficult days.

“I’m extremely grateful for the public support for policing.”

13:43

'R' number higher in Scotland than elsewhere

The R number, indicating the spread of the virus, could be higher in Scotland than elsewhere in the UK.

The First Minister said lockdown measures are key to “driving down infection rate and driving down the R number”.

People should continue to remain at home unless buying essential items or exercising.

13:41

Only 'immediate' change will be to exercise rules

Sturgeon confirmed that she has spoken to PM Boris Johnson and reiterated that Scotland’s lockdown measures would remain in place for now.

She added that the nations of the UK may move at different speeds if the data says that it is necessary.

The only change Sturgeon is considering in the immediate term is a change to outdoor exercise.

13:36KEY EVENT

48 COVID-19 patients have died in last 24-hours

The First Minister has confirmed that there have been 48 additional COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours. This takes the total number of people to have died after testing positive for coronavirus to 1811.

There are currently 1584 people in hospital – a decrease of three from yesterday – and 84 patients in intensive care – a decrease of two.

13:28

Nicola Sturgeon set to provide fresh update

Nicola Sturgeon will be live in around ten minutes to provide a daily update on the latest COVID-19 figures. Updates on lockdown measures, and testing are also likely to come up.

Stick with us here and we’ll bring you all the latest from the briefing.

13:07Hilary Mitchell

Dears Pharmacies in Edinburgh now have face masks in stock.

13:05Hilary Mitchell

Meet the hero Big Brother winner who is feeding Edinburgh during the pandemic.

John Loughton doesn't like to focus on the fact he once won Big Brother. In fact, it only comes up almost an hour into our conversation, after a wide-ranging chat about his youth work, poverty in Edinburgh, the government response to the coronavirus pandemic and the time he managed to sneak a RuPaul's Drag Race quote into a serious radio interview.

However, it's certainly of interest, mainly because of how far he has come since winning the Celebrity Hijack version of the popular reality TV show in 2008. Since then he's founded global leadership company Dare2Lead, spoken at TED talks, and travelled the world.

In other ways, he hasn't come far at all, in that John has stayed incredibly true to his Pilton roots.

The SQA have expressed concern about the changes to Scottish exam process, say PA

Students receive their results in August each year (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

The Press Association have filed a report saying that Holyrood's education committee have written to the chief exec of the Scottish Qualifications Authority to express concern about the decision to use of a school's past performance to inform the grades of learners this year, which it said could affect those from more deprived backgrounds.

In response to the coronavirus outbreak, the Scottish Government cancelled this year's exam schedule, with teachers instructed to submit predicted grades and rankings of pupils in the absence of an examination.

In the letter, convener Clare Adamson told the chief executive that the confidence of the public in the temporary replacement system is based on transparency.

She said: "Only by being able to understand the detail of the processes to be followed can the public be assured that the system for arriving at grades will be consistent and fair. On that basis the detail of processes being followed need to be published in full as quickly as possible."

The committee also asked for full details on the moderation process, including how much weight would be given to teachers' predictions, past coursework, mapping of estimates on a curve and the past performance of the school.